My husband’s family built quality custom homes in New York, and, independently, I also built and remodeled several homes in South Carolina. Upon deciding to build in Charleston, we asked local residents to recommend the area’s top contractors. A developer who has built dozens of houses in the Carolinas said, “Ryan Butler is the right choice. He listens, he’s smart, he’s experienced and he has integrity.”
From our first meeting, we knew Shelter was the right match. Ryan asked insightful questions and invested much valuable time to understand our goals. Within a few days after receiving our plans, he submitted a detailed construction schedule, budget and contract. During our own due diligence, we saw evidence of his superb craftsmanship. Shelter homes were solidly built and beautifully finished.
Working with the entire team at Shelter Custom-Built Living was easy. We were pleased with Shelter’s project planning, communication, expense documentation and punch-list follow-up.
Recently another successful contractor in Myrtle Beach asked about our experience. “Still like your builder?” he asked. “I’ve seen many good construction relationships turn sour in those critical final weeks.”
“Shelter is a great company,” I said. “We adore everyone there!”
So now we own a beautiful home built on time and under budget, thanks to Shelter Custom-Built Living. What a wonderful welcome to Charleston, the best city in the world!

Mary & Mike

SHELTER built our home this year and we couldn't be happier! The team is extremely efficient and professional, yet fun and creative. They all have gone above and beyond to make us happy and we truly are. Our home is everything we could have ever wanted thanks to SHELTER....I would love to say that this is our forever home but the experience was so wonderful, I can't say that I wouldn't do it again with them and only them!

Kate and Rick

"I can’t say enough good things about Shelter Custom-Built Living. I have worked for the Daniel Island Company for over 13 years, and for 7 of those years, I managed the builder program so I am very familiar with most of the builders on the island. Choosing a builder was going to be a hard decision for us, at least for me because of the relationship I have with so many of them. This is the 4th home we have built on Daniel Island. I definitely didn’t want to be the one to pick the builder, so I chose 3 builders for my husband, Dan, and me to meet with to start the process. This is what I’ve always recommended our sales team do – select the 3 builders that you think are most compatible with your client’s personality, budget and style. I knew I would be comfortable with any of the 3 builders but wanted Dan to make the choice. He needed to be comfortable with our decision. He needed to like and trust the person.
It took one meeting with Ryan for Dan to know he was the right builder for us. My husband is an attorney and a very good judge of character. He called me immediately after our meeting and said, “He’s a great guy. He’s honest, and I trust him.” That pretty much sealed the deal. Of course budget was one factor, but Ryan’s estimate was right where we wanted to be. We were even willing to pay more for him to build our home because we trusted that in the long run, we’d still come out ahead!
We have been nothing but pleased with Ryan and his team. From start to finish, he made us feel like we were all that mattered, even though he had quite a few other homes being built at the same time. His entire team was professional and courteous. His wife, Jenny, who works with him, was a great resource for selections and design. His trim carpenter has an unbelievable gift! His work is art. Ryan himself is dependable, honest and takes pride in everything he does, especially his company and the product he delivers. We highly recommend Shelter Custom-Built Living!"

Nichole Orvin

" When we were in the process of choosing a builder, character was one of the most important traits to us. We felt it was most important to travel this road with someone we could trust. We found that trust in Ryan Butler of Shelter Custom-Built Living. Our home building process was complex due to architectural details of our home, and extra consideration we placed on getting things “just right” for our handicapped son’s space. Ryan embraced that process head-on with us. For that we are forever grateful. He shared the desire we had to get things just the way we wanted them and just the way we needed them. Ryan is a great guy and wonderful to work with. He listened to us and made a point to follow through. He has great work ethic. He was always available to us when we needed anything, and continues to be six months after we have moved into our home. The process of building can be frustrating and exhausting, to say the least. It is also a very rewarding experience and we are happy that we had Ryan at the helm to help bring our dreams to fruition!"

Melody and Chris Walker

"Ryan Butler and his staff at Shelter are very professional. Ryan is extremely dependable, honest, and trustworthy. He prides himself on perfection and quality craftsmanship. The project was finished on time and precisely within the budget of the quote. We would without a doubt work with Ryan and his crew again."

Holly Jenkins

"Ryan at Shelter built us the home of our dreams! From start to finish he was there the entire process, listening to our wants and needs, walking us through the process, keeping us constantly up-to-date on what stage of building we were in, and communicating everything on a consistent basis. His contractors were also very professional and did a superb job on our custom home. Ryan has a professional, calm approach to things and this made it so nice when you are dealing with such an emotional process. Would recommend Shelter with the highest regards and can safely say you are in the right hands if you choose Shelter as your builder for your next home!"

The Ohlson’s

"We are truly thrilled and overjoyed by the work Shelter/Ryan Butler has done for us and our new home. We are so grateful for his hard work and dedication we can’t wait to start again with him on our pool house.
We started the home search on DI and came to the conclusion that we would remodel and place an addition on the house. The scope of the project that we wanted to under take was massive. I am a “perfectionist” so I knew we needed someone that could handle the size of the project as well as all of my endless demands. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Ryan was the guy for us. He was very consistent with his work and on his follow through. I can honestly say that there wasn’t one day that Ryan wasn’t on the job site. He was always on time and professional in every meeting we had. He answered every question we had no matter how small and always returned phone calls and emails within minutes. I found the entire remodel and building process very easy and painless with Ryan. I actually really enjoyed the remodel process and working with him and look forward to continuing with our next project with Shelter. I can’t say enough nice things about him and the company. I would definitely recommend him to anyone that would like to build, remodel, and renovate their home. A truly caring and respectful builder."

The Hagerty Family Daniel Island

“We are thrilled with SHELTER and Ryan Butler as he exceeded our expectations for our home renovation project. Ryan gave us great comfort by the way he listened carefully to our desires; incorporated creative suggestions into our plans and always maintained true professionalism and high integrity throughout the engagement. We trusted Ryan and he delivered…and under budget! We would hire SHELTER & Ryan again – no doubt.”